Steve Jobs: Famous folks he met and what he thought about them

Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Steve Jobs is full of the late Apple visionary’s tart assessments of people he met over the years:

Mick Jagger“I think he was on drugs. Either that or he’s brain damaged.”

Barack Obama“I’m disappointed in Obama. He’s having trouble leading because he’s reluctant to offend people or piss them off. Yes, that’s not a problem I ever had.”

John Mayer“John Mayer is one of the best guitar players who’s ever lived, and I’m afraid he’s just blowing it big time….I think he’s a really good kid underneath, but he’s just been out of control.”

The Beatles
“If the vault was on fire and I could grab only one set of master tapes, I would grab the Beatles.”

Bob Dylan“He’s one of my all-time heroes. My love for him has grown over the years, it’s ripened. I can’t figure out how he he did it when he was so young.”

Image Credit: Albert Watson

Yo-Yo Ma

When Jobs was ill, Yo Yo Ma came to visit, bringing his 1733 Stradivarius cello and performing a concert in the Jobs’ living room. Jobs, who had been moved to tears by the music, told him, “Your playing is the best argument I’ve ever heard for the existence of God, because I don’t really believe a human alone can do this.” He made Ma promise to play at his funeral.

Joan Baez
He had a long relationship with the singer: “I thought I was in love with her, but I really just liked her a lot. We weren’t destined to be together. I wanted kids, and she didn’t want any more.”

Bill Clinton
When the president asked his advice in the Monica Lewinsky affair, Jobs told him, “I don’t know if you did it, but if so, you’ve got to tell the country.”

Yoko Ono
“I can see why John fell in love with her.”

Jeffrey Katzenberg
“When Jeffrey was still running Disney animation, we pitched him on A Bug’s Life. In sixty years of animation, no one had thought of doing an animated movie about insects, until Lasseter. It was one of his brilliant creative sparks. And Jeffrey left and went to DreamWorks and all of a sudden he had this idea for an animated movie about – Oh! – insects And he pretended he’d never heard the pitch. He lied. He lied through his teeth.”